Truck Bomb in Somali Capital Kills 20

At least 20 people were killed and dozens others were wounded when a massive truck bomb exploded in a busy market in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Sunday, officials and witnesses said.

Witnesses said a truck laden with explosives targeted a market in Kawo-Goday area in Mogadishu’s Wadajir district.

Security officials told VOA’s Somali service the victims included civilians and government soldiers. Scores of people wounded in the attack have been transported to local hospital.

Director of Madina hospital Mohamed Yusuf told VOA they have received least 32 people wounded in the attack so far.

No one has yet claimed the responsibility for the blast, but officials blamed al-Shabab militants.

Sunday’s attack came hours after al-Shabab denounced Somalia’s new president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo.

A senior leader of the group has vowed to continue fighting the government. In an audio message, Sheikh Hassan Yaqub, a senior commander, called the new president an “apostate” and warned Somalis against supporting him.